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The beach is nice and the water is warm, but the... - Review of Baraza Resort & Spa

This is an excellent hotel by African standards. Very stylish, friendly staff, secure. The food is good, however there was no a la carte option, and make sure you finish your set course dinner otherwise you will be bombarded with questions if you have enjoyed it and why you have not eaten everything. POWER CUTS every evening remind you that you are in a third world country, but we got used to it by the end of our holiday. The biggest let down was the shop. The prices are outrageous and the quality is as poor as it can be. We bought flip flops which broke on the 2nd day, goggles which leak water and impossible to use, and the sun screen which had to be re-applied every hour according to instructions. I dont mind paying a premium for good products but these were as bad as Chinese cheap products can be. The beach is nice and the water is warm, but the tides are very strong and you can only swim for a couple of hours per day.Having said all that, we had a very nice time at the resort, our villa was great and I loved the design. The same company owns a nearby hotel and I think that they should integrate them in order to offer more facilities and dining options for guest. That way this hotel could attract not only guests who are doing a safari before, but also people coming to Zanzibar for a beach holiday in a five star resort.

Stayed October 2012, traveled as a couple

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

GMBaraza, General Manager at Baraza Resort & Spa, responded to this review,
November 5, 2012

Dear Sir,

Thank you very much for taking the time to write a review about Baraza Wegreatly appreciate feedback, both positive and negative, which helps us toimprove.

We are very pleased to hear that you have enjoyed the style and the decor ofthe hotel, as well as the hospitality of our staff and we thank you foracknowledging this in your review.

The power cuts are unfortunately a fact of life in Zanzibar but Baraza isequipped with an extensive back up system in place 24 hours a day to dealwith this. We would like to clarify that what you have experienced was a2-3 minute transition from landline power to our back up generators. We aresorry to hear that you found this inconvenient, but we want to make clear toother potential guests that there is always power at Baraza.

Concerning the shop, we are very sorry to hear that your experience was notpositive. Our shop was noted by Tatler and Conde Nast for being anexceptional hotel gift shop with unique, eclectic items which range from animpressive collection of Africana, Kaftans, decorative items & Zanzibariantiques. Also we would like to point out that the sunscreen, flip flopsand goggles we are selling are all imported from the USA. But we have notedyour comments on them and we are reviewing the products accordingly.

As our guests enjoy Baraza on an all inclusive basis, we change the dininglocations with different themes, menus and venues. Our guests are alwaysable to order from the a la carte beach side menu available from 11.00am to19.00pm and we can also organize beach barbeques, as well as private diningexperiences arranged with our chef at an extra charge.

The difference between the high and low tide is a normal phenomenon alongthe entire East African coast, and for this reason East Africa and indeedZanzibar is one of the few places where you are able to enjoy reef walksduring low tide and hence admire the incredible marine life of the Indianocean.

Thanking you once again for your comment, we hope to have the pleasure towelcome you back again.

Sincerely,

The Management

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

A beautiful hotel. We're just departing at the airport now. But a number of little missteps along the way that don't warrant its extensive price or rating. Nothing was enough to warrant a call to a manager, but the totality of misses had us second guessing what otherwise would be a great resort on a great beach. Food was great in quality, but 5/6 meals are buffets. Meaning, every day breakfast and lunch, and then dinner every other night. At these prices, I'd want a menu to order from. If you wanted room service or something else, there was a charge. Out of about 5 calls to either the beach club or reception, we'd be told we'd get a call back. So we'd wait a bit in the villa with no response. And after returning, there would be no message waiting. So either, there is no voicemail or no follow-through. I hope its the former, but makes getting any resolution of issues an effort. We were surprised to find on our last night a bottle of champagne waiting on our return from dinner. Nice intention, however it was room temperature -- no thought about putting it in the fridge or better on ice. Big deal? No, but it shows that the service issues aren't thought through. Gym? Especially in a hot climate, but even in any hotel, you'd expect a water service, or water bottles, or anything. No thought. Internet, they ask when you check in if you want it for $15/night. I'd think paying over $1k/night it would be part of "all-inclusive", but even when our villa host brought a router, he couldn't make it work. Said he'd come back to fix, never did. Fortunately we didn't get charged even though we were able to figure out on our own it was plugged into the wrong switch.

Lot's of potential if those things we're accustomed to just happened. But something is just missing. Maybe in a few years the management can get it up to the level its being priced/marketed at.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

GMBaraza, General Manager at Baraza Resort & Spa, responded to this review,
November 5, 2012

Dear Guest,

We appreciate your kind comments about the hotel and would like to say thatguest satisfaction is something that we take very seriously and feedbackfrom our valued guests is something we appreciate. I hope you will allow meto clarify some of the points that you have raised in your review.

We do provide complimentary bottled water in the spa which is the samelocation as the gym as well as a selection of teas and lime water. Weapologize if they were not immediately made available to you.

Actually, the bottle of sparkling wine was in your fridge since the firstday you arrived, as a complimentary gesture from us for your honeymoon,which is as per our normal policy and was indicated by your villa host uponarrival when showing you the room. Since you had not consumed it, heremoved it from the fridge on your last night and put it out as he thoughtyou might like to take it with you. Therefore it was not put in an icebucket, which needless to say, would have been the case if it had beenbrought to the room for you.

We regret that you interpreted it as a negative issue since the intentionwas in fact completely the opposite. In fact the villa host, only wanted tomake sure that you noticed the bottle and he is extremely sorry to read onthe internet that this upset you.

We try to offer a mix of dining venues, menus for our guests. As iscommunicated upon arrival by the Villa host, although we always offer abuffet option for lunch, we also have the a la carte lunch menu availableevery day which is part of the all inclusive plan and is not at an extracharge for guests who do not want to have the buffet.

Of course, our staff are always available to prepare anything special orparticular for our guests and it is so unfortunate that you did not expressa preference for something other than the buffet that one evening duringyour stay, as the Chef would have been more than happy to assist you. As itis a beach resort, with guests coming to breakfast at their leisure, weprefer to serve a premium breakfast buffet so that our guests feel relaxedin a more informal setting.

I am sorry to hear that you felt the communication was not good when youcalled the reception. As you may know, for the local population English isnot their first language and when opening Baraza we were committed tocreating jobs for the local community and therefore made a conscious choiceto hire young Zanzibaris and Tanzanians and give them an opportunity andtraining in the hospitality industry. Sometimes communication can be a bitchallenging and I hope you can understand that I am not in any way excusingthe fact that you did not receive the correct follow up or communication, Ijust want to explain that the language can sometimes be a barrier. We arefollowing up on this and again, please accept our apologies. Theoverwhelming feedback that we get from our valued guests is that it is theZanzibari people’s hospitality and friendliness is in fact what goes aboveand beyond making it a five star experience.

The hotel provides internet connection in the business centre for all ourguests at no charge but for connection in your villa there is a charge ofUS$ 15 per night.

I know that the villa host assisted you with connecting the router and thatthere were some internet problems on Saturday. Our IT manager came to yourvilla (though you were not there) and checked and confirmed that thewireless was working. As you say, you were not charged for your internetuse during your entire stay, which I hope you will agree shows ourcommitment to guest satisfaction.

Again, we appreciate feedback and indeed this is how we continuouslyimprove. It is this dedication of our staff which has helped us earn anexcellent reputation among tour operators, specialised travel agents anddirect guests around the world, as well as the place on the prestigiousConde Nast list of top 60 best new hotels in the world, of which we are veryproud.

We thank you for your feedback and I hope that you will take intoconsideration our comments above, which shed light on some of the issues youhave highlighted.

Kind regards

The Management

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Having both travelled extensively around the world, it surprised me that neither myself nor my Dutch girlfriend had ever been to Africa. One call to Pure Zanzibar later and we were set for a luxury holiday, at a price which was lower than you would expect, if the hotels descriptions were to be believed.So it was with a mixture of excitement and slight trepidation that we boarded the plane on our journey into unchartered territory. After landing at Dar El Salaam, we transferred to the small plane that would hop us on to Zanzibar. With just a soft holdall each and the very basic domestic air terminal (and ‘bus stop’ would give a better description than the rather grand use of the word terminal) where they wrote out our Passport numbers by hand, it became very clear that we were leaving behind a lot of the ridiculous gadgetry clutter and self importance of the world that we usually inhabited and heading for somewhere simpler and friendlier.In Zanzibar our transfer was seamless, in fact the only hold ups on the entire trip were the M25 and Heathrow in equal measure... so much for ‘progress’...Furthermore everyone we met was eager to help and smiling, even when they didn’t need to be.Stonetown was a fascinating haphazard maze of old houses and shops and schools and small businesses – in fact it was often difficult to tell the difference. Every tourist gets lost in the unnamed unsigned streets but any local will happily point you in the right direction or walk with you and chatter away. We felt safe and relaxed. Yes a few budding entrepreneurs did try to sell us stuff but at no point was anybody too pushy. We walked to the sea front on our own at night, and in the day drank crushed sugar cane under the giant Banyan tree chatting to locals who stopped by. Our hotel was right in the heart of Stonetown and there could be no better way to soak up the atmosphere. I think day trippers might feel uneasy about suddenly being confronted by the rabbit warren like streets – but they need not worry, maybe you need to be there for a bit longer to realise how friendly and vibrant the area is.We moved onto the Baraza Resort for a blissful and tranquil week on the beach. The calm that we felt as we walked into the reception area, the smiles and welcome of Jemima our villa hostess, the views of the ocean, the gentle breeze... I am sure these images will stay with us forever. The ocean front villa was not only pure luxury, but beautifully designed with day beds for reading and relaxing and plunge pool to cool down. Within a few paces we were on the white sandy beach and every afternoon when the tide came in we swam in the sea, which was like stepping into a warm bath! In the mornings when the tide went out we watched the fishermen casting their nets in the shallows. They would feed their families with their catch and bring back the empty shells to sell. They were also always happy to talk about their lives and their work. In the evenings we would eat expertly prepared unhurried meals in the cool and comfortable restaurant, or out under the stars, always with attentive and smiley service. All of the waiting staff well trained and perfectly polite – but no sense of stuffiness that can make you feel uncomfortable. This is the sort of relaxing that we didn’t want to end.I mentioned earlier that we had travelled extensively, so it was very interesting to compare our Zanzibar experience.Obviously when you stay in Luxury Resorts and hotels the staff are usually very nice. Of course they are. But what we found in Zanzibar, and Jemima was a perfect example, were staff who loved their job and loved where they lived. It is often arrogantly assumed in the UK that people from less wealthy countries would all like to flock to our shores for our better way of life. This was the opposite of what we found in Zanzibar. People seemed genuinely content with their lot, proud of the islands friendliness and often went over and above what they needed to provide in the way of service. I’m sure lots of holiday resorts will claim this... but here it is actually true. And it makes all the difference.We got engaged whilst on Zanzibar – it was that romantic and relaxed. I couldn’t think of a nicer place to have this memory.Many thanks to Tarquin and Susie and the staff at Pure Zanzibar for making this happen. And the most often repeated quote that I read in the Baraza Guestbook I will repeat here, ‘We will be back. Thank you.’

Jerry & Marjolein

Stayed September 2012, traveled as a couple

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We had a wonderful stay a this very special resort and I cant recommend it highly enough.Everything about our stay was of the highest standard...from the the welcome to the hotel, the spacious and beautifully decorated villas and through-out the hotel, to the fabulous service from the staff, who couldnt do enough to make our stay more enjoyable. The F & B Manager (Calais) really went all out to make our stay special, as well as all his staff...

The food is very good...there is plenty of choice for everything and nothing disappointed on that side either. We loved the Indian Buffet on the first night we stayed there especially...great food...

The resorts architecture and interior design is stunning...and some of the best we have experienced ANYWHERE...

I am already plotting how I can come back to stay at this wonderful and fabulous hotel...highly recommended to everyone

Room Tip: We chose an ocean view room and it was good...perhaps abit more "private" than the ocean f...

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Stayed October 2012, traveled as a couple

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Ask Rubyscooby2009 about Baraza Resort & Spa

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The best thing about baraza is your villa - plunge pool, outdoor and indoor seating, big bath, walk in shower and walk in wardrobe - the place was three times the size if our London flat and so much more inviting!

Lots of lovely places to escape the heat if you want to too- not only do you have a/c in your villa and satellite tv, but there's a wonderful spa where I had the best massage of my life!!! Plus a library and a bar.

Beautifully over the top grounds to explore with large pool, tennis courts, snorkelling, reef walks, pool and darts. We only went in the sea in our last day to do the reef walk. But baraza is just so pretty that the Indian Ocean becomes back drop scenery!

The service is outstanding - your allocated a villa host who tahrs care of everything for you. Ours was the wonderful Samson who was just terrific.

Room Tip: get an ocean view villa

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Stayed October 2012, traveled as a couple

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Ask Zenobia79 about Baraza Resort & Spa

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

As a family of 4, we have stayed in some excellent hotels around the world in the past. Baraza is right up there with the best. During our 5 nights, service was excellent, particularly from the F&B manager who kept an eye on our 12 and 14 year old while we took excursions to other parts of the island.

The architecture and decor is very attractive, if a little anodyne and formulaic - it is after all a recently-built resort not a hotel of long-standing or any historical note (it pleasantly reminded us of some of the places we have stayed at in Morocco). The room we were allocated was very spacious (2 bed, 2 en suite, living room, plunge pool), the main double bed enormous and the grounds and main communal buildings were well kept.

The main public beach is attractive, though a little featureless for our tastes (we've been to many more attractive beaches) - yes, the tidal nature of the beach means that at low tide it is possible to walk/wade a long way out through the reef (the hotel provides footwear) but other than that it's the usual white sand and blue water, with little beach-side interest other than the hotel strip palms.

Food and drink was generally very good and the staff were happy to go off set menu for picky children. The bar drinks were however a little disappointing - cocktails were weak to say the least. The spa was one of the better ones we've used and the on-site boutique was stocked with a good selection of local goods should you not venture out to Stone Town

The resort's location is some way away from the airport and Stone Town, though not excessively - about 45-60 minutes - but is well located for many of the day trips you might want to take ..The Red Colobus monkeys, Spice Gardens and Dolphin spotting boat/snorkeling trips are all within 20-45 mins and Stone Town max 60 mins. A good selection of tours can be booked from the resort. For those who can't keep away from email, at the time of our visit free internet access was available in the travel office next to reception.

I guess in reality we only had very minor quibbles and this really is an excellent hotel/resort. We had arrived at the resort for our 5 night stay after safari in Tanzania at 3 camps/'lodges and perhaps it was readjusting to a different kind of break that took the gloss off the experience (though barely) at Baraza. I would nevertheless thoroughly recommend the resort .

Room Tip: Beachfront rooms have their own reserved lounger and shade in the sandy area to the front (not on th...

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Stayed August 2012, traveled with family

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Ask StuartBradshaw about Baraza Resort & Spa

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Our room at Bazara consisted of the following : Entrance porch, small kitchen, large sitting room, separate Sultan's Day bed, large bedroom with superking bed, bathroom, separate dressing room, separate loo, twin bedroom, bathroom, verandah with huge daybed, garden and plunge pool and 6 loungers. And there are 3 of us. We didn't make any comment just in case we'd been given the wrong room (or sould I say house?) It was WONDERFUL!!!!! Lovely grounds, great pool and very good food - and I mean VERY. Whilst we're not fans of the 'Fine Dining' concept, they do at least rotate the whole thing so you get a variety of styles of meals. The Swahili buffet was exemplary - the lobster was fabulous. The hotel is quite large but it never felt crowded as the grounds were so sprawling. The beach is picture perfect and the service could not have been more attentive. A really excellent hotel - I suspect we'll head back.

Stayed July 2012, traveled with family

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This beautiful resort evokes the heritage of Zanzibar dating back to the era of the Sultans. A fusion of Arabic, Swahili and Indian design, with beautiful arches, hand carved cement décor, beautiful antiques, hand made furniture and intricate brass lanterns, Baraza offers unparalleled standards of luxury on the Island of Zanzibar. Baraza has set a unique standard of luxury accommodation on the island...more less

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Also Known As:

Baraza Resort And Spa

Baraza Hotel Bwejuu

Baraza Resort & Spa Zanzibar/Bwejuu

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